Seamless BB paintball

ABSTRACT

Seamless BB paintballs are formed by utilizing the principle of repulsion between oil and water, the differences of surface tension of oil and water, and the character of melting of gelatin materials in high temperature and solidification in cold temperature to produce a biodegradable seamless paintball. The seamless paintballs contain a colored edible oil solution for improved safety for accidental ingestion and rupture on impact to improve safety relative to similarly-sized solid projectiles. The seamless paintballs may be produced at consistent sizes and weights, thereby reducing the possibility of jamming during shooting and/or unintended rupture during loading. The seamless paintballs may also be configured to improve storage stability and the trajectory consistency, thereby overcoming common limitations of conventional BB and paintball projectiles. The seamless paintballs are produced by encapsulating a liquid fill material with a liquid shell material to obtain improved spherical symmetry and seamless shell construction.

PRIORITY STATEMENT

This application is a Divisional Application of and claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 10/629,212, which was filed Jul. 28, 2003, and which is currently pending, the contents of which is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention consists of a seamless BB paintball having an oil-based fill material and an aqueous-based shell material and methods for manufacturing such seamless BB paintballs to provide safer and more environmental friendly materials. These BB pellets can be used for recreational games and military and police field training.

2. Description of Conventional Art

Pellets currently used for recreational games and military and police training generally fall into the following two categories: BB pellets and paintballs. BB pellets 10 are manufactured to have a diameter of approximately 6 mm and typically exhibit a weight of approximately 0.12˜0.33 grams. The BB pellet shown in FIG. 1 is comprised of non-environmental friendly solid plastic ball or a plastic-coated metal ball. Their advantages include low, cost, suitability for continuous firing, high accuracy, and widespread compatibility with plastic toy guns and simulation metal regulation pistols, rifles, or machine guns. When shot from a simulation metal gun, the pellets provide a sense of reality similar to the firing of real bullets. On the other hand, the pellets are manufactured by materials that are not decomposed readily, and therefore, they tend to pollute the. environment. In addition, when shot at a high speed, hard metal balls may potentially cause injury or death of the players. When used for recreational games and military or police field training, this type of pellet presents the disadvantages of reduced safety, biohazards and difficulty in accurate targeting.

Conventional paintballs 20 have a diameter of approximately 17.5˜17.7 mm and a weight in the range of approximately 3.8˜3.9 grams. The paintball shown in FIG. 2 contains an edible solvent and dye, and is manufactured by environmental friendly materials. The paintball ruptures and releases the colored solution after striking the target, making a colored mark on the target that can be used to objectively assess the results of the game or training. Nevertheless, paintball have the disadvantages of being excessively large, excessively heavy, compatible only with special gains, and entirely incompatible with simulation guns. Since paintballs have an extremely soft outer shell, they cannot be loaded into the clip of the gun in a continuous fashion, and consequently cannot be fired continuously. While this is barely accepted in recreational games, it is practically useless as military and police training tools.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,054 discloses one type of paintball that consists of a gelatin-coated distilled aqueous solution. The present invention not only differs from the aforementioned patent in terms of the percentages of gelatin and the enclosed material, but, also, employs an oil-based solution as the enclosed material. The present invention is thus substantially different from the aforementioned patent.

With regard to a conventional 6 mm BB paintball 30 that are commercially available in Taiwan and in foreign markets, FIG. 3 shows the use of two hemispherical molds to manufacture two round, seamed, oval gelatin capsules filled with distilled aqueous solution containing a dye. Players who use this type of product perceive certain disadvantages, including the fact that the gelatin, capsule is too soft and cannot be fired continuously, and also that the capsule becomes even softer with time and soon cannot be used at all. In addition, the seams on the oval gelatin capsules render roughness in their surfaces, and thus affect firing accuracy. The present invention discloses a type of seamless BB paintball manufactured by a proprietary procedure that produces a paintball that represents a clear improvement over the conventional seamed products.

The present invention employs new technology to manufacture seamless BB paintball 24 suitable for use in BB guns. This BB paintball is similar to BB pellet in size, but is manufactured by environmental friendly materials. The advantages of the present invention include environmental safety, continuous firing, high accuracy, and the ability to clearly mark the target. The present invention also provides a sense of reality similar to the firing of real bullets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become more apparent by consideration of the written description below in which example embodiments are detailed with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional BB pellet;

FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional seamed paintball;

FIG. 3 illustrates a commercially available seamed BB paintball;

FIG. 4 illustrates a seamless paintball according to an example embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates molding equipment suitable for producing seamless paintballs according to an example embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates internal operation of an example embodiment of an apparatus for manufacturing seamless paintballs according to an example embodiment of the invention.

These drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and, unless specifically indicated, are not drawn to scale. The spatial relationships and relative sizing of the elements illustrated in the various embodiments, for example, the various components of the apparatus of FIG. 5 or the internal details of FIG. 6 with regard to the production of paintballs according to the invention, may have been simplified, reduced, expanded or rearranged to improve the clarity of the figure with respect to the corresponding description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The seamless BB paintball 24 of the present invention employs a type of edible soft gelatin capsule as an outer shell. Enclosed in the shell is edible oil and dye, These materials are food grade, non-corrosive, biodegradable, and non-polluting. They are harmlessly excreted by the human digestive tract if accidentally swallowed.

The seamless BB paintballs are manufactured by using an appropriate molding equipment based on the nature of mutual insolubility of distilled water and oil, the differential surface tension between the two solutions, and the property of gelatin that is melted at higher temperature and solidified at lower temperature. The molding equipment shown in FIG. 4 consists of three major parts: A control panel 40 located at the left side that provides power and controls of production conditions; a raw material storage tank 41 located in the center; and a molding apparatus 42 located on the right side. FIG. 5 shows two concentric nozzles, of which the inner nozzle sprays oil-based solution and the outer nozzle simultaneously sprays distilled aqueous solution. After the fluid of outer layer has completely coated the fluid of inner core instantly, and coated drops thereupon drips into the cooling oil; solidify and form ball-shaped gelatin capsules with smooth, seamless surfaces. As shown in FIG. 6, this is the finished seamless BB paintball 24 product of the present invention.

The present invention employs food-grade soft gelatin capsules enclosing edible dye and oil. The oil can be either an edible synthetic oil or vegetable oil; it can be selected from peanut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, short-chain or medium-chain fatty acid. A “short-chain” fatty acid refers to a fatty acid with carbon chains consisting of eight fatty acids, while a “medium-chain” fatty acid refers to a fatty acid with carbon chain consisting of 16 fatty acids. Both short-chain and medium-chain fatty acid can be selected from saturated or unsaturated edible fatty acids. PEG (polyethylene glycol) or starch can be added when necessary to adjust the viscosity of the oil. PEG added can be a mixture selected from, two, or more than two types of PEGS. PEG of an average molecular weight between 200 and 6000 daltons is typically added. Edible starch, such as corn starch, potato starch, is also commonly added.

The oil-based solution is composed of edible synthetic oil or vegetable oil containing 1%-5% edible dye (W/W). The aqueous solution is composed of distilled water containing 10%-34% gelatin (W/W) that can also contain 1%-10% PEG, 1%-10% starch, and 0.1%-1% edible dye (W/W). Preferentially, the aqueous, solution in this invention is consisted of 15%-30% gelatin, 1%-5% PEG, 6%-10% starch, and 0.6%-1% edible dye (W/W).

The manufacturing procedures required to produce BB paintball of this invention consist of the sequential steps of preparation of materials, molding and solidifying, degreasing, drying, and completion of finished product.

These steps are described as follows:

1. Preparation of materials:

(1) The oil-based solution is composed of 1%-5% edible dye in edible synthetic oil or vegetable oil. The two components must be mixed to homogeneous consistency after weighing out the correct amounts of each component. This produces a colored oil-based solution. The edible dye can be changed to any color as desired. The oil can be an edible synthetic oil with either short- or medium-chain fatty acids, peanut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.

(2) The aqueous solution contains 10%-34% gelatin, 1%-10% PEG, 1%-10% starch, and 0.1%-1% edible dye in distilled water. After weighing out the correct amounts of each of the above materials, the dye and distilled water are mixed to homogeneous consistency. PEG, starch, and- gelatin are then sequentially added and . mixed. The preparation of aqueous solution is completed after heating at 70° C. to dissolve the mixture and removal of air bubbles. The colors of edible dye can be changed to any color as necessary to meet different needs. The PEG can consist of two or more types with different molecular weights, and have an average molecular weight between 200 and 6000 daltons.

Molding and solidifying:

(1) Molding and solidifying procedures are performed by the machine shown in FIG. 4. This machine consists of three major parts including: a control panel 40 located at the left-hand side that provides power and controls production conditions; a raw material storage tank 41 located in the center; and a molding apparatus 42 located on the right-hand side.

(2) Following the preparation of materials, the oil-based solution and aqueous solution are. poured into a tank kept at room temperature 51 and a tank kept at 70° C., respectively 52. Pumps on the control panel simultaneously pump the oil-based solution and aqueous solution via respective pipes to the molding apparatus the right-hand side of the machine. The molding apparatus contains two round concentric nozzles. The inner nozzle with a diameter of 1.0˜4.3 mm sprays the oil-based solution and the outer nozzle with a diameter of 5.8˜8.6 mm simultaneously sprays aqueous solution kept at a temperature of 70° C. This process forms a spherical gelatin capsules filled with oil-based dye solution via surface tension created by mutually incompatible interfaces. The gelatin capsules are solidified in cooling oil 53 with a temperature of 4˜10° C. and a flow rate of 0.06˜0.25 ml/sec. The formed gelatin capsules have a diameter in the range of 6˜10 mm.

(3) Degreasing: A centrifuge is used to remove oil and grease from the surface of the gelatin capsules.

(4) Drying: Drying equipment is used to dry and harden the gelatin capsules: The gelatin capsules after the drying procedure have an average diameter of 5-9 mm.

Any person familiar with the aforementioned technical processes who reads the detailed descriptions of optimal embodiments in the following diagrams will certainly gain a clear understanding of the goals and advantages claimed for the present invention. EMBODIMENT 1 Content W/W Oil-based solution Peanut Oil   95% Edible dye   5% Aqueous Solution Gelatin   34% PEG   2% Starch   3% Edible dye  0.1% Distilled Water 60.9%

EMBODIMENT 2 Content W/W Oil-based solution Soybean Oil   98% Edible dye   2% Aqueous Solution Gelatin   16% PEG   1% Starch   10% Edible dye  0.8% Distilled Water 72.2%

EMBODIMENT 3 Content W/W Oil-based solution Short-Chain Fatty acid   99% Edible dye   1% Aqueous Solution Gelatin   10% PEG   10% Starch   8% Edible dye  0.3% Distilled Water 71.7%

EMBODIMENT 4 Content W/W Oil-based solution Corn oil   96% Edible dye    4% Aqueous Solution Gelatin   22% PEG    5% Starch    1% Edible dye  0.5% Distilled Water 71.57%

EMBODIMENT 5 Content W/W Oil-based solution Sunflower oil 97% Edible dye  3% Aqueous Solution Gelatin 28% PEG  3% Starch  6% Edible dye  1% Distilled Water 62%

EMBODIMENT 6 Content W/W Oil-based solution Medium-chain fatty acid 97.5% Edible dye  2.5% Aqueous Solution Gelatin   25% PEG   7% Starch   5% Edible dye  0.7% Distilled Water 62.3%

The seamless BB paintballs of this invention manufactured by a proprietary, procedure employs a type of edible soft gelatin capsule as an outer shell. This seamless shell is filled with edible oil and dye that are non-corrosive, biodegradable, and nonpolluting as the core. They are harmlessly excreted by the human digestive tract if accidentally swallowed.

Although several optimal embodiments of this invention have been described herein, these examples are not intended to limit the applicability of this invention. Anyone familiar with this technology would be able to make some changes and embellishments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Because of this, the protected scope of this patent should be seen as the applied for patent scope attached to this application. 

1. A method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball comprising: forming a core solution comprising an edible lipid and an edible dye; forming a shell solution comprising water and gelatin; dispensing a first amount of the core solution; encapsulating the first amount of the core solution with a second amount of shell solution; solidifying the shell solution and thereby form a seamless BB paintball including a solid shell composition containing the core solution.
 2. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 1, wherein: solidifying the shell solution by immersing the second amount of the shell solution in an oil bath.
 3. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 1, wherein: the core solution includes 1%-5% (W/W) of the edible dye; the edible lipid is selected from a group consisting of vegetable oils and synthetic oils; and the shell solution includes 10%-34% (W/W) gelatin, 1%-10% (W/W) PEG, 1%-10% (W/W) starch, and 0.1%-1% (W/W) edible dye.
 4. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 3, wherein: the vegetable oils are selected from a group consisting of peanut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil and olive oil.
 5. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 3, wherein: the vegetable oils are selected from a group consisting of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids.
 6. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 3, wherein: the PEG is selected from a group consisting of PEGs having molecular weight between 200 and 6000 daltons.
 7. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 3, wherein: the PEG includes a mixture of at least two PEG compounds.
 8. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 3, wherein: the PEG has an average molecular weight between 400 and 6000 daltons.
 9. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 1, wherein: the shell solution includes 15%-30% (W/W) gelatin, 1%-5% (W/W) PEG, 6%-10% (W/W) starch and 0.6%-1% (W/W) edible dye.
 10. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 1, wherein: the shell solution includes 10%-34% (W/W) gelatin, 1%-10% (W/W) PEG, 1%-10% (W/W) starch, and 0.1%-1% (W/W) edible dye; and wherein a dry weight ratio of the gelatin and PEG is from 17.0 to 1.0.
 11. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 10, wherein: the dry weight ratio is from 9.3 to 4.4.
 12. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 10, wherein: the dry weight ratio is from 9.3 to 1.0.
 13. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 10, wherein: the dry weight ratio is from 4.4 to 1.0.
 14. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 2, further comprising: separating the seamless BB paintballs from the cooling oil; degreasing the seamless BB paintballs; and drying the shell composition.
 15. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 2, further comprising: separating the seamless BB paintballs from the cooling oil; degreasing the seamless BB paintballs; and hardening the shell composition.
 16. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 2, further comprising: separating the seamless BB paintballs from the cooling oil; and separating the seamless BB paintballs by diameter into size groups.
 17. The method of manufacturing seamless BB paintball according to claim 2, further comprising: maintaining the shell solution at a formation temperature within a formation temperature range through the step of encapsulating the core solution; and maintaining the cooling oil at a cooling temperature within a cooling temperature range, wherein the formation temperature is at least 60° C. greater than the cooling temperature. 